To hear Michael Corbett tell it, policing should be more about compassion than revenue.

However, during the final years of Corbett's quarter-century of police work, he believes the Novi Police Department didn't see things the same way.

Corbett is suing the department, claiming that his failure to abide by a mandatory ticket quota eventually resulted in his early retirement and a dispute over his pension.

The Novi Police Department responded with a brief statement.

Advertisement

"We have obviously been served with the lawsuit," Novi Assistant Police Chief Jerrod Hart said.

"The allegations are not consistent with our practices or the professionalism of the Novi Police Department."

Corbett left the department last month, citing harassment, retaliation and a hostile work environment.

"I'm very disappointed," Corbett said.

"It's been a long career for me, and I think this is a really sad way to end it, and I'm sad (about) the way the profession is going, because there's too much pressure on everybody to create revenue."

In the lawsuit, filed in Oakland County Circuit Court, Corbett accuses Novi Assistant Police Chief Victor Lauria of implementing a ticket quota in 2006. Road patrol officers were required to make four traffic stops and issue two tickets per shift, Corbett said.

It is against state law for a police department to require officers "to issue a predetermined or specified number of citations."

"They believe in the system of productivity, and they want to get every ounce of productivity out of everything, so I don't think they take the human element (into account)," Corbett said.

"They think of it as factory work or some kind of production. Everything I produce comes from someone else's pocket. Nobody minds arresting people who deserve it, but there has to be some compassion in that field or it just doesn't work right."

The lawsuit accuses the city, Lauria and Novi Police Chief David Molloy of closely monitoring and tracking ticket revenue. A document obtained by The Oakland Press shows that Novi's municipality revenue in 52-1 District Court skyrocketed between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 fiscal years.

In 2008, the city racked up nearly $350,000 in revenue, while that number increased to more than $450,000 in 2010. All other cities, townships and villages that use the 52-1 District Court had revenue numbers that decreased over that time frame. Attorney Deborah Gordon, who represents Corbett, said the Novi figures come to an average of $8 in court costs for each Novi resident every month. The other cities are less than a dollar, Gordon said.

"They're getting a lot of that revenue in their back pocket," Gordon said of the Novi Police Department.

"They're going to be damned if they're not going to find a way to extract (money)."

Gordon said motorists who, in the past, may have received a warning are now given a ticket with an "I" written on the bottom. The ticket will then be changed to impeding traffic in court.

"Impeding traffic is zero points, but it costs more money," Gordon said.

"It's a bait and switch. They get you into the courthouse for your ticket, and in exchange for paying more money, you get no points. It's even more evidence that this is a revenue collection service."

Corbett said the department's practices made it clear that money was the main goal.

"I could write defective equipment tickets or registration tickets that don't bring a fine, because we figured if we have to make these numbers, we'll take it easy on the public and just make our numbers and let them get away with no fine," he said of his initial thoughts on the quota.

"Then command started pulling us in and saying 'No, these tickets don't count, you have to write speeding tickets. You have to write commercial vehicle tickets that have the heavy fines.' It's very clear they want the money."

Corbett said his command officers promised to "make his life miserable." The lawsuit claims that they were successful on that front.

"Lauria advised Corbett that officers who failed to meet their numbers would suffer negative consequences, including having their patrol tapes reviewed and scrutinized to 'make [the officers'] lives miserable,'" the suit states.

"On several occasions, Corbett was called into meetings with his supervisors and chastised for not complying with the ticket quota policy."

Lauria was promoted from lieutenant to assistant chief in 2009. He announced that the ticket quotas were "here to stay" and that ticket numbers were being tracked, the suit states.

"Corbett and other officers with 'low numbers' continued to be harassed, pressured, marginalized, criticized, insulted and attacked by command officers, including in monthly meetings," the lawsuit states.

Molloy chastised Corbett's supervisors in 2010 for Corbett's failure to meet his numbers, and command staff "were increasingly pressured to crack down on patrol officers not meeting their numbers," the suit states.

The harassment of Corbett continued through 2011 and 2012, with supervisors asking Corbett when he'd be leaving the force.

Corbett interviewed for a promotion to detective in 2012, during which he was questioned about his low ticket numbers. He was ultimately denied the promotion. Upon receiving new supervisors in late 2012 or early this year, "the pressure and harassment with respect to meeting quotas intensified further," the suit states.

Two sergeants who were Corbett's supervisors "chastised and threatened" Corbett about his low numbers on Feb. 2. During the meeting, he was told that his supervisors would ensure that he "not only met, but exceeded, his ticket numbers from now on," the lawsuit states. He was also told that he'd work "undesirable details" as punishment.

One sergeant rode along with Corbett in his patrol car that day and insisted that Corbett write a ticket for a motorist who had rolled through a stop sign, "even though Corbett ... determined that under the circumstances, a warning would be more appropriate."

Corbett was not instructed to ticket the driver of a City of Novi vehicle who, speeding, ran the same stop sign moments earlier.

The following day, Corbett submitted a written harassment complaint to the city manager. He described the events of the previous day and expressed concern about the situation.

"I am fearful of repercussions for bring(ing) this matter to your attention and am certain if you want to know the truth and interview our officers you will get confirmation of the hostility here," Corbett wrote.

Corbett never received a response to the email and was subsequently given a punitive job assignment.

Corbett submitted an amendment to the harassment claim on March 7, adding that he was retaliated against "for his complaint and/or for not meeting ticket quotas."

Three days later, Corbett learned he was under investigation at Lauria's direction, and that command staff needed to question him about 84 issues.

Corbett began experiencing chest pains at work "and was forced off on a medical leave" on March 12, the lawsuit states.

"Corbett was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his work environment," the suit states.

"On April 15, 2013, as a result of Defendants' harassment, retaliation and creation of a hostile work environment, Corbett, at age 46, was forced to take an early retirement and resigned from Defendant City of Novi.

"Corbett's forced resignation/retirement was in fact a constructive discharge."

The defendants have also sought to block or delay Corbett's retirement benefits.

"This is a full court press," Gordon said.

"This is really arrogance on display here to an extreme example. I've sued a lot of police departments and I've represented a lot of officers. These people, they're just not going to stop, even though they've been sued."